Merchant Noble is out (1/3 chapters for today)

 

 

Retreat

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“The central army is also starting to collapse…” (??)

“Weren’t the enemies supposed to be 5,000? Could there be more ambushed forces?” (??)

The right-wing army, to which Arc belongs, could do nothing but watch in a daze as the central army was falling apart. If there had been a general full of loyalty and rich in combat experience, they might have been able to circle behind the enemy that was encroaching on the central army and attack from both sides. However, there was no such general in the right-wing, and even if there had been, the system would not have allowed them to move the soldiers, who belonged to various factions. No one attempted to go to the central army’s rescue.

In the meantime, soldiers from the central army began fleeing towards the right-wing. Since the enemy had broken through from the left-wing, it was only natural to flee towards the opposite side, the right-wing. Moreover, it was only reasonable for them to seek help from the right-wing, which still had a large army in reserve. However, it was a mistake for about 200,000 soldiers to flood in. It was clearly far too many.

“This is bad… The fleeing soldiers are coming this way!” (??)

“Hey! Don’t come this way!!” (??)

The right-wing soldiers desperately tried to drive them away, but there was no way they could push back such a massive army, and soon the fleeing soldiers poured into the right-wing. Even though the enemy had not yet arrived, chaos immediately ensued. Soldiers were knocked over like dominos, and horses were toppled by the human wave.

Warden’s army, which was placed at the far end because they were a low-ranking noble group, was also hit by the chaos. Arc quickly made a decision.

“Yulia! We’re retreating.” (Arc)

“We’re retreating even though the enemy hasn’t arrived yet?” (Yulia)

“The nobles are already fleeing one after another. We won’t stand out much if we run too. Besides, do you think the right-wing army can stop the enemy? The left-wing and the central army have both lost.” (Arc)

“I understand. Let’s escape before we get caught in the traffic.” (Arc)

Like the other nobles, Arc had no intention of sacrificing his life for the kingdom. From the start, he had planned to flee as soon as it was clear it wouldn’t cause any trouble. Warden’s army was the first to begin retreating from the right-wing. Since they were positioned in the rear and had only about 1,000 men, they were able to leave the battlefield relatively smoothly.

As Arc began retreating, shocking news arrived from Yuna, who had gone out to gather information.

“… Arc-sama. Hangue-sama was too late in escaping.” (Yulia)

“That idiot. I told him to leave before the battle started!” (Arc)

Arc spat the words out in frustration. If Hangue was late in escaping, it meant that the merchants of Warden Trading Company were also late. Merchants left defenseless in the middle of a battlefield were practically inviting an attack. Their goods, of course, and even the money they had earned up until now would likely be plundered. If they survived, they might be lucky.

That was why he had warned them before the battle. So why did Hangue ignore the warning and continue to sell even after the battle started? He probably planned to sell off the remaining goods before fleeing. He must have gotten greedy, thinking ‘just a little more, just a little more’.

“Yuna, could you take a few people and go rescue Hangue? I’ll be waiting in a town a bit further ahead.” (Arc)

“…Understood.” (Yuna)

Arc ordered Yuna to rescue Hangue. The goods were inevitable, and the sales money was only what they could carry. But at the very least, they had to save their lives.

Warden’s army had quite a few adventurers. Though Arc was worried about the battle, they were professionals when it came to rescuing people and transporting them. Yuna left on horseback, taking some skilled adventurers with her as assistants.

The next day, just after dawn, as it was starting to get light, Yuna returned to the town where Warden’s army had set up camp. Hangue and several merchants were being carried on horseback. None of them had any noticeable injuries, but they were all utterly exhausted. Arc wanted to let them rest, but he was still quite angry.

“…I told you to escape before the battle started.” (Arc)

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be over this quickly. I mean, we had 500,000 soldiers! How did we collapse so fast?” (Hangue)

“Managing that kind of risk is part of being a merchant!” (Arc)

Hangue complained about the situation on the battlefield, but Arc’s sharp rebuke made him hang his head.

What’s done is done.

Arc thought he could pursue accountability later at his leisure. For now, he decided to stop the scolding and asked for a damage report.

“What are the damages?” (Arc)

“We left all the unsold goods behind. The soldiers were too busy fleeing to loot anything, but we figured it would just slow us down.” (Hangue)

“Is that all?” (Arc)

“Yeah, that’s all. We had already sent the profits back with the main merchant group, and we were just selling the leftovers.” (Hangue)

“So, the damage was minimal.” (Arc)

Hangue was a professional merchant after all. It seemed he had managed the risk of selling the leftover goods to a certain degree, meaning he had set it up so that it wouldn’t hurt too much even if they were lost. In that case, it could be said this was the best outcome in a worst-case scenario.

“The goods don’t matter. We can always get more. What matters is your life, Hangue. Learn to escape quickly without being greedy.” (Arc)

“I’m truly sorry.” (Hangue)

When Arc softened his tone a bit, Hangue obediently bowed his head. At that moment, Yuna returned with a report from her reconnaissance of the surrounding area. Arc always entrusted information gathering to Yuna, and since she consistently fulfilled her role, Arc could focus on his own tasks with peace of mind.

“…The remnants of other nobles’ soldiers are heading towards this town.” (Yuna)

“I understand. Let’s return to Mikanda before we get caught in the chaos.” (Arc)

As expected, defeated soldiers were a dangerous presence. Many of them had no food or way to return home, making them prone to violence and causing disorder. It would be best to retreat without encountering them.

“Please stop by the capital or the territory of Baron Kreitz.” (Hangue)

Hangue made a worried request in response to Arc’s plan to return to Mikanda. The merchants’ base of operations was the merchant guild in Baron Kreitz’s territory.

“The capital is out of the question. We don’t know if Leo’s army will return or continue advancing. If they do advance, they’ll aim for the capital. We’ll stop by Baron Kreitz’s territory. Ah, that reminds me. Yuna! Order the Warden Trading Company merchants and the Warden Household members in the capital to evacuate.” (Arc)

“…Understood.” (Yuna)

If the report of the government army’s defeat reached the capital, there would surely be chaos. The wealthy, without power like the merchants, might be in serious danger. Arc knew he needed to evacuate the Warden Household members and merchants before rumors spread.

The merchants were to be moved to Baron Kreitz’s territory. Baron Kreitz’s domain was next to the former Warden territory, meaning it was on the western side of the kingdom. From the perspective of their route to return to Mikanda, this was quite a detour, but it couldn’t be helped. For now, the western part of the kingdom had not been caught up in any conflict, so they should be safe. However, if the kingdom’s overall security deteriorated, Arc might have to bring the merchants to Mikanda as well.

Arc held no loyalty to the kingdom. Therefore, he was able to calmly analyze the kingdom’s future in his own way.

Meanwhile, Leo’s army, which had thoroughly crushed the government forces, continued its advance while pillaging noble territories along the way. The day before Arc returned to Mikanda via Baron Kreitz’s territory, Leo’s forces entered the kingdom’s capital, Horimas, without bloodshed.

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